**Find more about Lois’s memoir at https://www.loisstrachan.com/books-and-author-support/#acc-content In today’s episode, Lois speaks with Mitch Kidd about their life as a transgender blind individual. Mitch and Lois discuss some of the unique challenges faced by people living with this intersectionality and solutions to enhance inclusion of all in…

**Find more about Lois’s memoir at https://www.loisstrachan.com/books-and-author-support/#acc-content In today’s episode, Lois speaks with Notukela Makohliso, a woman who fulfils many roles. She is a mother, a politician, a social justice activist, a writer, a storyteller, and speaker. She is a woman who draws much inspiration from her faith. Notuk…

**Find Lois’s music on Spotify at https://open.spotify.com/album/5FoQ00woRkMAtb7j3EZJWa?si=bgviicb8SGu78Srva8JAUg&nd=1 In today’s episode, Lois speaks with visual artist Aerin Dyason, the youngest guest to feature on the show so far. Aerin was diagnosed with retinal dystrophy as a young child. Aerin describes the challenges she faced as a partially…

**Find Lois’s music on Spotify at https://open.spotify.com/album/5FoQ00woRkMAtb7j3EZJWa?si=bgviicb8SGu78Srva8JAUg&nd=1 In today’s episode, Lois speaks with content creator, Lethabo Segudla, from the Zollyhood Universe platform. Lethabo, who is visually impaired and has epilepsy, is the social media manager for Zollyhood Universe, a platform that sh…

In today’s episode, Lois speaks with fellow podcaster, Lenard Gros, from the show The Disabled Life. Lenard talks about his life and show, and the accommodations that enable him to produce the podcast and volunteer while living with cerebral palsy and dyslexia. He also discusses a few of the inclusion barriers he has faced as a result of society’s …

In today’s episode of the Job Talk series, Lois talks with Elizabeth Sammons about simultaneous interpreting as a possible career choice for persons with disabilities with a passion for languages. Elizabeth discusses possible training and techniques to practice the skill of simultaneous interpreting, and discusses her own experience interpreting bo…

In today’s episode, Lois speaks with Confidence Coach, Chris Mitchell. Chris talks about what it was like growing up with an incomplete spinal cord injury, a visual impairment and ADHD. He also discusses his work, the certification he achieved to become a coach, and how he uses his coaching to help others in the disability community, who often stru…

**Content Warning: this episode contains references to sexual abuse and domestic violence. If these topics may trigger you, please skip the episode. In today’s episode, Lois speaks with Juri Love, a multi-talented woman, about what it is like living with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) as a result of childhood trauma. A survivor of sexual abu…

**Set up a free 30 minute coaching discovery call with Lois on https://www.loisstrachan.com/contact-lois/ In today’s episode, Lois speaks with Abida Mahomed about her work as a database administrator (DBA) using the Oracle platform. This is the latest episode of the Job Talk series, focusing on people with disabilities working in mainstream employm…

**Set up a free 30 minute coaching discovery call with Lois on https://www.loisstrachan.com/contact-lois/ In today’s episode, Lois speaks with Aaron Richmond, host and creator of the Aaron’s Opinion Podcast. His show discusses critical issues in the blindness community and other issues from across the universe and galaxy. It can be heard wherever y…

In today’s episode, Lois speaks with Ghofran Alyass about her life and how she navigated the educational system as a person with a disability living in Canada. Ghofran was born in Iraq at a time of war, when obtaining medical supplies and accurate medical advice was a challenge. Her parents managed to care for a child with spinal bifida for ten yea…

In today’s episode Lois speaks with the team responsible for devising and implementing a groundbreaking project to train certify and employ drone pilots with disabilities in South Africa. The team comprised Dean Conde, Elmarie Cronje, Kim James, and Venetia van Wyk, as well as the drone pilot participants Ferdi van Eerden and Sandile Mkhize. During…

In today’s episode, Lois speaks with Mitch Creedy, a digital accessibility consultant from Canada. Mitch talks about their background in digital accessibility, and the training they received through the Blind Institute of Technology, also called the BIT Academy. They also refer to the WCAG, the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines, as a tool that c…

In today’s episode, Lois speaks with Nick Smit, who works as an educator in Johannesburg. With Nick having a strong background in disability awareness and accessibility through his work with the organisation, Smergos, they discuss the accessibility of the teaching profession, both of his teacher training and in his work experience. They chat about …

In today’s episode, Lois speaks with Vhutshilo Masibigiri, founder of Diversity SA, a South African company working in the diversity, equity and inclusion space. During the conversation, Lois and Vee discuss the reason that disability seldom enters the DEI conversation in South Africa, the work Vee is doing to raise awareness about disability and e…

In today’s episode, Lois speaks with Shakila Maharaj, managing director at ShazaCin Accessible Media, about making the visual world accessible through the use of audio description. We chat what audio description is and who, beyond the blindness community, is using audio description, as well as digging into some of the more technical aspects includi…

In today’s episode of Job Talk, Lois speaks with rare warrior, Kerry Walsh, about the upcoming launch of her new book “Finding My Feet: A Rare Warrior’s Journey Through SMA and the Unknown”. During the interview, we chat about the book – why Kerry wrote it, some of the central themes and touch on her lived experience with spinal muscular atrophy (S…

In today’s episode of Job Talk, Lois speaks with Tyron Harding about his career as a data analyst. Tyron outlines the skills he believes make a good analyst, the training he undertook, and the type of work he does within the scope of his job. During the conversation, Lois and Tyron discuss his previous careers, both before and following the home in…

**To book a disability coaching discovery call with Lois, go to https://www.loisstrachan.com/contact-lois/ In today’s episode of Job Talk, Lois speaks with Winston Fani, South Africa’s first qualified blind tour guide. We chat about Winston’s early life in Port Elizabeth, South Africa, the reason he moved to Cape Town (hint: it was to follow the lo…

As a podcast host I am usually the one posing the questions. Today I’m sharing an episode from one of my favourite podcasts, where I am the one in the hot seat, facing the questions. If you are not already following Reimagining Life Podcast : from Pain to Purpose, I’d suggest subscribing so you can catch all RiRi’s shows as soon as they are publish…

In today’s episode Lois speaks with Anel Coetzee, a legal practitioner who is visually impaired. Anel speaks openly and honestly about her experiences looking for, finding and transitioning into work, first as a practicing attorney, and then shifting into the corporate world where she currently works as a legal advisor. This is a valuable episode f…

In today’s episode Lois speaks with Brittany McCormick, a woman living with Cerebral Palsy who uses her passion for motivational speaking to shift people’s awareness of how to overcome challenges. Brittany chats about how discovering her love of speaking turned her wish to make a difference from a spark into a flame. Brittany also discusses The Pur…

In today’s episode Lois speaks with Katie Selby, paraeducator and advocate, on her experience of growing up with a learning disability. During the conversation we discuss Katie’s schooling and college education, how she learned to self-advocate and how she teaches that important skill to the students with whom she now works. We also talk about the …

In today’s episode Lois speaks with the co-founders of Smergos, Nicole Vergos and Nick Smit, about their organisation and the work they do enabling disability employment. During the conversation we discuss: • The founding of Smergos • How they became involved in the disability employment space, • The challenges facing disabled people seeking employ…

In today’s bumper episode Lois speaks with disability and inclusion specialist, Lidia Pretorius. During the conversation we chat about Lidia’s involvement with the disability sector in Africa, the importance of allyship and how to be a good ally for the disabled community. We also discuss online and digital inclusion. Lidia shares useful ideas on w…

In today’s episode Lois speaks with fellow podcaster, RiRi on the launching of the Reimagining Life Podcast: from Pain to Purpose During the conversation we chat about RiRi’s own journey with chronic pain and how it led her to start the podcast as a resource for others, as well as some of the tools and techniques RiRi uses to manage her condition a…

In today’s episode Lois speaks with Marthe-Marie Kohne, founder of Abilities without Limits, about the work being done by Abilities without Limits and Marthe-Marie’s experience of living with Cerebral Palsy. We also talk about writing and Marthe-Marie’s co-authorship of two books, one in English and one in Afrikaans. Support Marthe-Marie on World C…

Inclusion specialist Jeremy Opperman returns to speak to us on a strategy to improve levels of the employment of persons with disabilities in a holistic way. Topics covered in this far-ranging discussion with Jeremy and Lois include: • The concept of disability confidence and how it affects all aspects of a company’s operations • Moving disability …

In this episode I chat with George Abraham, founder of Score Foundation in India. During the conversation we discuss George’s involvement in blind cricket in India, and his role in the creation of the World Blind Cricket Council, of which he was elected as the first Chairperson in 1996. In this role he and his team conceived and organised the inaug…

In this episode I chat with road accident survivor, social media influencer, and model, Nobathembu Peter, aka Royalti On Wheels, on the importance of shifting society’s stereotypes of disability. During the conversation we discuss the advocacy work being done by Nobathembu, the book she is currently writing, and the importance of companies understa…

In this third conversation on employment and disability, inclusion specialist Jeremy Opperman and I explore the business case for greater levels of inclusion. This final part of Jeremy’s tri-nocular perspective model explores the topics of persons with disabilities as consumers, case studies of successful inclusive thinking, and the impact on emplo…

Returning to the subject of employment and disability, in this episode inclusion specialist, Jeremy Opperman, and I explore some of the myths that impact on employment. This is the second phase of Jeremy’s tri-nocular perspective model: the human rights lens, which he refers to as the reality check. During our conversation we discuss: 1 the prevale…

The reasons for low levels of employment of persons with disabilities in South Africa are complex. In the next few episodes of the podcast we will be looking at some of the factors making this so complicated. This is the first in a series of conversations with Jeremy Opperman, who is an expert in this field. In this episode Jeremy and I chat about …

In this episode I chat with Emma Roos, co-founder of Higher Ground, from Durban in South Africa. Emma and I speak about the Higher Ground holiday camps for persons who are blind and partially blind, as well as some of the other activities of Higher Ground: • A chess club • In-person social meet-ups • Virtual meet-ups, • Holiday camps for persons wi…

In this episode, during Lupus Awareness month, I chat with Nurjawaan Rawoot from Cape Town, in South Africa. Nurjawaan was diagnosed with Lupus when she was years old, and it resulted in her blindness. Nurjawaan and I also discuss how she, as a blind youth, found herself a job, and her work as a volunteer leader of the South African Blind Youth Org…

In this episode I chat with the Audio Book Wizard, Richard Rieman about making illustrated children’s books accessible to all children. After a long career as a radio news reporter, anchor, and Washington Bureau Chief, Richard turned his storytelling skills to the world of audiobooks. He has narrated and produced hundreds of Indie-published audiobo…

In this episode I chat with Charlie Dyasi about his work as an audio engineer and voice artist. We discuss Charlie’s curiosity about audio that started at a young age and how it led him to explore working in various aspects of the audio field including radio deejaying, audio editing and creating radio jingles. Find Charlie and his audio work at any…

In this episode I chat with Michelle Steiner, from the blog Michelle’s Mission, about her lived experience with a learning disability. Michelle talks about the impact her invisible disability had on her while growing up, and some of the adaptations she has made to accommodate her disability as an adult. We also discuss how Michelle’s learning disab…

In this episode I chat with Kristin Secor, founder of the World on Wheels Blog. Kristin describes how she has adapted to accommodate living with a rare form of muscular dystrophy, and how she has managed to turn her love of travel and of helping people into an accessible travel blogsite. Kristin also shares some of the details of her first small gr…

In this episode I chat with Barbara Hinske, a USA Today bestselling author about her newest book, Over Every Hurdle, the third book in the Guiding Emily series about a blind woman and her guide dog. We learn about Barbara’s inspiration for the series, the research she does into creating a realistic lived experience for both Emily and her guide dog,…

In this episode I chat with Nadine McKenzie, Artistic Director of the inclusive performing arts company, Unmute Dance. Nadine shares a little of the history of the Unmute Dance Company and explains some of the logistics of running a mixed abilities performance group of dancers. She also tells us about the upcoming Arts Ability Festival that will be…

In this episode I chat with Siva Moodley about his latest book, “A Passion for Success”, and his career as an educator and inclusive education advocate in South Africa. In “A Passion for Success”, Siva shares the stories of alumni of the Arthur Blaxall school for the blind, showing how success is due to a lifelong dedication to growth and determina…

I’m currently on leave and thought I would share a guest episode from Global Network, a podcast published by Charlie Dyasi of Naledi Media, who recorded my podcast credits. Find Global Network at https://anchor.fm/s/2668542c/podcast/rss Or contact Charlie at E-mail: charliesa.dyasi@gmail.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lujadee.paul LinkedIn:…

In this episode I chat with author Jann Weeratunga about her journey as a writer and how she has become a strong ally for the disability community through her writing. Jann’s children’s books include characters with disabilities, and serve to normalize the concept of disability for both disabled and non-disabled children. During our conversation Ja…

In this episode I chat with Lee Haskin, founder of Connor’s Haven in Mitchel’s Plain, Cape Town. When learning that her newborn baby was disabled, Lee made a commitment to providing the care her child would need. This led to the founding of Connor’s Haven and Resource Centre, which has become a centre of support and resources for parents and caregi…

In this episode I chat with Stephanie Duesing, author of the book Eyeless Mind, about her discovery that her son, Sebastian, had been living with undetected CVI for 15 years, and was almost completely blind. We discuss the difference between ocular blindness and cerebral/cortical blindness, the event that led Stephanie to discover her son’s CVI, an…

In this episode I chat with Kellina Powell, aka Deaf Queen Boss, from Toronto, Canada. Kellina and I discuss her journey through hearing loss at the age of 4 years, college, her new online coaching business assisting others who are deaf, and her brand new book, “Every Day I am Just Deaf: Life in a Hearing World with Deaf Queen Boss” Contact Kellina…

In this episode Jeremy Opperman chats to me about a recent adventure of an aerobatic flight. During our conversation we explore various aspects of how I experienced the flight, including what I felt when flying upside down and what it was like for me to actually fly the plane as a totally blind person. Contact Jeremy Opperman at Web: www.disability…

In this episode I chat to Dr Homiyar Mobedji, from Benetech Asia/Africa. We discuss the importance of inclusive education and its importance in employment of persons with disabilities in the developing world. We also talk about the need for accessible books and Homiyar’s role as head of Benetech Asia/Africa, and the role of the Bookshare library fo…

In this episode I chat to Ken Edmonds, from the YouTube channel Traveling with a Chair, and the new global directory AccessibleTravel.info. Ken shares with us how he became involved in developing accessible travel platforms, and what people can find on his YouTube channel. He also talks about his new initiative, AccessibleTravel.info which is a glo…